The Cyclist and the Cycled
by suzukeii
Summary: Granted, crashing your bike into someone else isn't a very good way to become friends, but it's certainly a way to meet people. And when you're stuck with them for some adventure, things can change.
1. Chapter 1

**Rosie**

"Aïe!" I awoke with a yelp of pain. _Not the best way to start my morning_, I thought, rubbing my forehead. The Fletching just cocked its head and stared at me with its large, round eyes. I pursed my lips, returning his gaze with a steely glare.

"Listen, bird," I snarled. "This my first day of summer vacation. I'd appreciate it if you let me sleep in for a bit." I stood, still massaging my head, and grabbed my hairbrush. Looking into the mirror, I surveyed myself. My mousey brown hair hung down my back to my waist; I leaned in and sullenly observed the stormy grey of my eyes. "I'll never be beautiful like Mother," I groaned, making a face at my reflection. _I'll never find a handsome man like Father to fall in love with me_, I thought, glancing at the family portrait on my dresser as I unbuttoned my pyjamas to change.

"Well, you're certainly quiet this morning," my mother commented. True, I hadn't opened my mouth except to ask her to pass the maple syrup. "Come on, cheer up! It's the first day of summer break! _And_ your first day living in the Kalos region." She gave me a wide smile, which I feebly returned. I could feel her violet-blue eyes boring into me even with my head down. "What's wrong, Rosie?" she asked timidly. "I know you miss your friends, and Dad has been..." she trailed off, staring off vacantly.

I stood up from the table and cleared my dishes away. We hadn't spoken about Father since he had left.

Father was, no, _is_, a genetic scientist, studying hereditary qualities and diseases in Pokemon. A few years ago, he was sent to the Sinnoh region for field work in the north. We haven't heard from him since he left. The rumours were savage; Mother's letters continued to go unanswered. She still believes in him. Me? I'd like to think she's right. What reason could Father have had for leaving such an extraordinarily wonderful woman? But the question on everyone's mind: Where was he after all this time?

* * *

**Calem**

_Why is my bed so cold? Oh, that's right, _I thought, looking around the room groggily. I sat up, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. The wooden floor was hard underneath me, and I was sore all over from the uncomfortable way I had probably spent the better part of last night in. Stretching my arms, I stood and walked to the mirror. _Bedhead, or rather this time_ floorhead_,__ has not spared me_, I thought as I combed my fingers through my dark hair. My efforts were in vain; it continued to stick out at odd angles. Abandoning that, I proceeded to change for the day.

_Ah, the first day of summer break!_ I thought, throwing myself across my bed, stretched out in all directions. With a great sigh, I rolled up to face the white ceiling. Unlike what most would think, I lived for school recesses. Another case of a nerd only on the outside.

"Calem! Breakfast's ready!" my mom called up the stairs. "Coming!" I shouted back, jumping from the bed, to be rewarded by a dizzy spell. I hesitated to shake it off, but still bolted down the stairs.

"Somebody's full of energy!" My mom turned from making pancakes and beamed at me. My sister sat at the table already, waiting for her breakfast, fork in hand. I took my seat next to her, a fatal mistake.

"Your hair looks dumb," she snorted, reaching up to tousle it further. Like it needed that. I smacked her hand away, eliciting a cry of indignation and a "Calem!" from Mom. I gobbled down the meal ("Chew your food, Calem!") and suited up for leaving in a matter of minutes. With a "See ya!" I was out the door into the bright sunlight of summer. Taking a gulp of the fresh air, I stepped off the front porch. I grabbed my bike and hopped on, zooming off the instant my feet touched the pedals. The breeze swept my hair back, probably making it worse. I was in my _element_.


	2. Chapter 2

**Rosie**

I took a breath, my hand stalling on the doorknob. _Take life by the horns, right?_ I turned the knob, stepped out, closed the door, and faced the street with my eyes squinted to a close against the harsh light of late morning. I walked out along the path, only to be barreled into by something big. And painful.

My hands caught me from behind, smacking into the pavement. A boy stood near me akimbo; a bike was driven halfway through one our azalea bushes, back wheel suspended in the air and still spinning. He glared at me and pulled the bike out of the dense foliage, muttering something about old men. After a thorough check-over, over _the bike_, I might add, he turned to face me, extending a hand to help me up. I ignored this and glared back at him. Upon observing my hands I found that bits of gravel had embedded themselves in my palms. I hastily brushed myself off, paying no mind to the trace amounts of blood I left on my t-shirt.

"What are you, blind?" the boy snapped, his hands back on his hips. "Were you even aware that my bike was coming toward you?"

"Um, _no_. And I don't see why I'm at fault. You should kept your bike under control," I argued. "You could have at least given some sort of warning."

"How would I know your eyes were closed?"

"Oh, I dunno, maybe my lack of response!" I retorted.

"Whatever," he huffed. "I'm still holding you responsible." The boy took a breath. "I'm Calem." He reached out for a handshake. I turned my nose up and gathered my dropped belongings. "Nice to meet you, too," he muttered, his hand dropping to his side. I hastily walked around him to the main road.

"Hey, kid! Where do you think you're going?" he called after me. "Your house is the other way!" I stopped abruptly on the sidewalk and spun around to face him. I walked back to him and grabbed him by the shoulder as he mounted his bike.

'You know what? You're right," I said. "I _don't_ know where I'm going. So I need _you_ to take me around here."

* * *

**Calem**

The girl smiled at me, though there was nothing friendly about it.

"Whaddya say?" she asked. "There's nothing wrong with that, is there?" She leaned in, pressing her pointed index finger against my chest.

"Th-that's fine, I guess," I stammered. I recoiled slightly, but she leaned in further until our noses nearly touched. My eyes widened and she seemed satisfied with her intimidation. She drew back, dusting herself off again.

"Well? Aren't you going to move over?" she said, suddenly sounding exasperated. "I've got a summer break to use efficiently, if you know what I mean. And I think you do," she said, eyeing my bag, the official school-wide distributed satchel. I hesitated to scoot forward on the seat, but the girl wasting no time in sidling up behind me.

"Woohoo!" she hollered, right into my ear. "C'mon, let's go!" She was evidently thrilled with the prospect of leaving Vaniville. "Um...where _are_ we going, anyway?" I had started to pedal down the street toward the town gate.

"The next town over is Aquacorde. As a matter of fact," I began, "I was going there in the first place to meet with some friends for lunch." Looking at my watch, I swore under my breath. "Speaking of lunch, we're going to be late."

"_You_ have friends?" the girl snorted. "I find that hard to believe," she continued. "Well, in any case, at least I'll have a chance of making some." I started to argue back, but she picked up a whistling tune, obviously ignoring whatever I was about to say. Mark my words, I hit every bump on Vaniville Pathway that day.


	3. Chapter 3

**Rosie**

"Can't this thing go any faster?"

"We're already here."

"Oh." I slipped off the bicycle onto unfamiliar cobblestone pavement. The sun beat down relentlessly; I squinted and scanned the surrounding townscape. _Why do summers here have to be so awfully hot? _I wiped my brow. It was just like me to forget a hat on a day as sweltering as today. Calem jumped off the bicycle, rolling it to a nearby pole and locking it around.

"Hi Calem!" a girl's nasal voice screamed at fever pitch. I spun around to be face-to-face, or, should I say, _face-to-chin_, with a rather petite girl (the screamer?) twirling her hair. "Are you Calem's girlfriend?" she grinned. Yes, the screamer.

I blanched, and leaned down a bit with a feeble smile to pat her on the shoulder. "Listen, kid," I chuckled. "When you said that, I vomited a little in my mouth. So, _no_." She frowned, shrugged her shoulders and skipped to a table where three other kids sat, including Calem. I approached the table and took my seat; the look on his face told me he had heard my brief conversation. The other two boys seemed engrossed in some sort of electronic device that would often emit beeping sounds. One, obviously the owner of the device, was a scrawny boy of about 13 and had a head of bright, carrot-orange hair. The other one, a round ball of a boy, had short, jet-black locks and no sense of personal space. And with his mouth agape, also one of the dumbest expressions I have ever seen.

Calem cleared his throat loudly. The idle chatter of his three friends stopped and their attention turned to him, albeit resentfully. The two boys didn't even to acknowledge my presence. You could tell that they were still thinking about their game whoosiwhatsit.

"Nice to see you guys again," he smiled around. "I'd like you to meet...uh..." He trailed off, looking quizzically at me. "I never did get your name, did I?"

"Rosie. And I'd like to know whom I'm meeting."

"All right, Rosie." He gestured around the table. "Trevor, Tierno, Shauna." He gave a nod to Carrothead, Muffin, and ADHD in turn.

"She's kind of cute," whispered Tierno, gazing at me. The urge to vomit resurfaced.

"You know it's a sin to lie, Tierno," said Calem reprovingly. He smirked at me, earning a hiss.

"Oh, they're getting along _so well_," said Shauna. She looked amused and, leaning back in her chair, began contentedly playing with her hair again. Her green eyes glinted in the sunlight. With the slight pause in dialogue, the boys returned to their machine.

Calem cleared his throat again, resulting in the rolling of three pairs of eyes. Begrudging looks were given all around.

"Don't you have something to give her, Tierno?" Calem asked politely.

"Nope."

"I think you do."

"Nope."

"What the heck? What about those pokemon Professor Sycamore gave you?"

"What pokemon?"

Calem let his head drop and hit the table with a resounding smack and muttered something under his breath.

"Did you even _read_ the script?" he asked, his voice muffled by the table. "I knew we couldn't trust you with those pokemon!" He took a deep breath, lifting his head and leaning back with his eyes closed. "You know what? That's okay," he remarked. He was suddenly, dangerously, reasonable. "We can just force this poor kid to restart her game. From the beginning. Mind wiped. New slate. Everybody, everything forgotten." His voice rose in intensity. "The only good out of it will be forgetting you, doofus," he snarled, glaring at Tierno. The latter was frightened, very frightened.

I hesitated for a moment but reached out for Calem's hand, balled up in a fist. "I'll be fine," I offered. "I'm sure the Professor has some extras. It isn't as though this has never happened before."

He was silent for a moment. He withdrew his hand from mine and stood up from the seat. Adjusting his visor, he strode to his bicycle and unlocked it. We were motionless as he swung his legs over the seat and kicked the stand up.

"Are we going or not?" he postulated. "We've got to get going now if we want to use our day to the fullest." He rode over to the table, extending a hand to me. I ignored it but got up to take a seat on the bike. Setting off at breakneck speed, he pedaled through the town square and over the bridge to Route 2.

"Avance Trail, Santalune City, here we come!" he shouted as we crossed the town line. Cheers from behind told us the others were coming, but the wind whipping my hair in my face prevented me from looking back to see where they were. _At least they're all happy_, I thought to myself.


	4. Chapter 4

**Calem**

The forest floor was dappled with the sunlight shining from above the tree canopies. Birds sang to one other; a creek ran in the distance; bicycles steadily rolled through grass and the occasional bramble patch. Though no pokemon appeared, the forest was full of a vibrant sense of life. Bright wildflowers bordered the well-defined path, and a faint breeze would occasionally stir the underbrush. Except for the five of us, the area was devoid of humans.

We had been riding for half an hour or so, and Rosie remained wholly awake, probably amazed by the sheer size yet tranquility of Santalune Forest. She didn't say a word but rather took everything in mutely; I turned around to see her mouth agape, gazing round at everything. _It's been a long time since I went through these woods and appreciated how scenic they were_, I thought, looking around.

"We're almost there," chirped Shauna, breaking the silence. "I can't wait to get to Santalune City! It'll be so much fun! They have a hat shop, a gym, our school..." She continued to twitter in her way, like a little bird. I tuned her out. _Those trees look nice._

"We'll show Rosie everything!" _The sky is really blue today._

"I can see the exit!" _I wonder what Mom's making for dinner._

"Race you guys!" _Probably lasagna._

The sudden light of Ouvert Way blinded me temporarily after we left the shaded confines of the forest. I blinked furiously, adjusting to the brightness. The rippling pond sparkled in the noon day sun. The dirt road and stairs were familiar; I'd gone this way since starting school 10 years ago. The path remained curiously empty for the first day of summer vacation. The bump of the change from dirt to cobblestone told me of our arrival in town.

* * *

**Rosie**

As soon as the town walls were behind us, I jumped off of the bicycle. I stood on the street and took a big breath of fresh air in a new city.

"And may this be the first of many."

"What did you say?" Calem asked, turning his head to me while hooking his bike up. I blushed slightly, realising my accident.

"Oh, nothing. Just talking to myself."

"You should probably get that checked out," he said, smirking at me. I resisted the strong urge welling up inside of me to flip him off.

Stone buildings lined the streets, thoroughly decorated with pink roses. Benches and cafe tables surrounded the square. A rushing fountain in the form of a Roselia caught my eye; the water glittered like gemstones. Behind the fountain lay a large, imposing building with a sign. A closer look revealed the identity of the building to be the Trainer's School, the regional middle-high school combination. My new school.

"Huh?" I turned to see Shauna pulling on my arm.

"Let's go to the boutique! C'mon, Rosie, please, please, please!" She refused to let go, so I gave in and followed her to one of the more nestled-away buildings. I couldn't help but notice the large red and white building neighbouring the boutique. A Pokemon Centre. Would I finally be able to use one?

With the tinkle of a bell, we were inside. Shauna dashed over to the first merchandise case she laid eyes on. Cases lined the walls of the shop; bright accessories and headwear were advertised and displayed on various counters. I strolled over to one, scanning the stock. A violently pink fedora caught my eye and I stood there motionless, zoned out, for probably a whole minute.

"May I help you, miss?" a tentative voice asked. I looked up to see a young woman of around twenty, dressed in a denim frock and dark leggings, not to mention a brilliant red beret. She stood there smiling at me.

"Oh, I'm fine, thank you." I smiled back politely. "I'm fine," I repeated when she refused to budge an inch. Rolling my eyes, I stepped around her to see Shauna flitting about the wares, touching everything. "This is boring," I said when I had gotten close enough to her so she would hear me over the music being blasted throughout the room.

"Are you kidding me?" Her jaw dropped. "This is the best! I love shopping! And just imagine how much better it'll be when we're in Lumiose City!" She turned her attention back to the hats. "You know, you'd look great in this one," she chirped, pointing to a navy felt hat.

"But I've already got one like that."

"So what? You know what they say, you can never have too many hats. I personally own a lot. Wearing them is fun, but shopping has got to be the best part. Did you know..." Here we go again. I snuck out behind her while she was distracted. She was still talking when the ringing bell signaled my departure and the clerk bid me farewell.

The boys were waiting outside. Trevor and Tierno sat on the bench nearby, while Calem leaned on the wall between the Pokemon Centre and boutique.

"Ditched Shauna in the middle of one of her spiels?" he asked, glancing over at me. "Don't worry. We've all done that before. She'll get over it." I pursed my lips. No wonder he doesn't seem to connect with these people._ He really doesn't care_, I thought. "She'll catch up. Let's go for a visit to the gym. I'd like you to meet someone." he stood, brushing off his shirt. The two other boys slowly stood - their eyes were still glued to that thing - and trudged along behind him. I followed them around the corner, taking one last look at the boutique for a sign of Shauna. _"Don't worry. We've all done that before."_


	5. Chapter 5

**Calem**

_12:32._

"Calem! Good to see you again!" I looked up from my watch to see Viola rushing towards me from conversation with a man I didn't recognise, her arms outstretched. We embraced, or rather she embraced me and I awkwardly followed suite. "What's up, kiddo?" She withdrew from me smiling, but her eyes looked worried. "Tierno, Trevor! How long has it been?"

"Only a few days."

"Are you sure? It feels like so much longer! Where's Shauna?" As if on a cue, Shauna chose that moment to walk through the front door of the gym. "Shauna!" Viola cried. "I haven't seen you for so long! How's it going?" She ran up to her and her long arms encircled the girl.

"Hi, Viola!" chirped Shauna, holding the gym leader an arm's length away after their embrace. "I'm fine, and you?"

"I'm great! How's your mom doing?" They fell perfectly in step with one another's dialogue. Their similar attitudes often led them to do that.

After several minutes of catch-up, Viola finally realised something.

"One, two, three, four...five! Who's this fifth one? I've never seen her before!" She leaned in to be face-to-face with Rosie, a huge grin stretched across her face from ear to ear. Rosie's eyes widened, and I found myself witness to something which I had once been involved in.

"My name is Rosie, and may I ask with whom I have the pleasure of speaking?" Viola drew back, the smile still plastered on her face but all of the light gone out of her eyes. This utter formality with strangers was unknown to her. She quickly recovered, however, and giggled a bit.

"And I'm President Captain Madam Viola Pembroke, gym leader of Santalune City," she declared with false bravado, and stuck out a hand for Rosie to shake. The girl looked slightly amused and proceeded to grip Viola's hand firmly and give it a quick shake. With a salute, Viola walked past our group to the entrance to the gym, which was left open. She looked back at us. "Come on, guys! Lemme show you around! It was just remodeled."

We stepped into the dark hallway. As the last person in the queue shut the door behind us, the path became beyond pitch black. I pressed my hands out to the sides to feel for the walls. I could hear that I wasn't the only one. After a minute or so of the inky darkness, a dim light greeted us to illuminate the top of a staircase. More lanterns lit the way down. The metallic clank of each step brought us closer to the faint outline of a door. Viola, at the head of the group, opened the door but quickly shut it with a choice swear word and an "Oops, wrong door!" The door had remained open only long enough to get a glance of a dank, stone room lit by a solitary flickering light bulb. A moan emanated from the cell as Viola bolted the heavy wooden door. "I guess it must be farther down the hallway that I thought," she laughed nervously. This open-and-shut was repeated at the next door. This room, however, was lavishly decorated with rugs and photographs of some man. Candlelight bathed the room in a soft orangy glow, and a saxophone melody was playing that sounded vaguely familiar. Another swear.

"Viola? Was that...George Michael?" Rosie asked tentatively. No answer.

"Ah, this is right one," Viola sighed after the minute of awkward silence. With the click of the handle, she opened the door to reveal a painfully bright room, with a ceiling that seemed to rise twenty feet above our heads. What seemed like a giant spiderweb stretched out in front of us across most of the floor, or rather, most of the _not_ floor. We stood on a small island of wood flooring, while the rest was simply not there. I looked down the dizzingly deep abyss that seemed to go on forever. Tierno rushed to the edge next to me with a Pokecoin in his hand. He held his arm out over the gaping hole and released his grip on the coin. We watched as it fell, fell, fell. Onto the floor that was not there. I reached down to grab it.

"What the heck!" he interjected. He reached down to feel the floor, which was evidently there despite seeming invisible.

"Do you like it?" Viola grinned. "I had a..._friend_...come in to do that. As a favour. Looks just like the real thing, huh?" With confidence, she strode over the edge onto the floor. "It gives a...certain look to it, doesn't it?"

We were all speechless. The illusion of a chasm was incredible. Shauna cautiously stepped up to the ledge and jumped off. She stared at the ground beneath her, and looked up to smile up at us.

"Come on, guys! This is _so _cool!" She began to skip and hop around, even doing a couple of cartwheels.

"Just be glad you came over today, kids. Today's the gym students' day off." Viola pointed out the absence of other people in the room. 'Not even they know about it, not to mention the people who come to challenge me."


	6. Chapter 6

**Rosie**

The gym lobby gave us a brief respite from the brightness of the gym and outside. A few puffy clouds rolled lazily across the great expanse of blue sky outside. The sun continued to beat down on us relentlessly; I deeply regretted my decision against wearing a hat as I pressed a palm against my scorchingly hot hair. _I'm such an idiot_, I thought as I reached in my pocket and produced a pair of sunglasses. _I couldn't have found these sooner?_

"Professor?" Calem called. I looked up to see a man in a white lab coat waving at us from across the square. I followed Calem towards him, and I grinned as his face came into focus. "Hello, Professor," Calem started. "This is Rosie, the girl you asked for. She's been-"

"Oui, yes, I know who zis is," he cut in impatiently. "'ow 'as life in Kalos been treating you, dear?" The professor smiled down at me, his eyes squinting against the harsh sunlight. "I 'ope your muhzzer 'as been doing well, oui?"

"Yes, of course. It's been interesting so far. I see you've already made the acquaintance of Calem" - "I looked over at at him, smirking - "_Uncle Augustine_." His mouth opened as if to say something, but he decided against it. Uncle Gus continued to look at us, smiling.

"It iz of utmost importance, _ma chère_, zat you listen to me," he began, suddenly serious. He looked deeply into my eyes. "I 'ave somezing for you. Your very own pokemon. Yes, for you! I will let you choose." I looked into the padded box he had pulled out of god knows where and opened. One pokeball sat comfortably in the lining.

"Umm...Gus...?"

"Oh, no!" he injected, glancing into the box at the solitary ball. "_Dommage_! Too bad! You will 'ave to settle for zis one! _J'ai oublié_, I forgot I gave zem to your friends," he sighed sheepishly. "Ah, but I saved zis one for you! Look!" He pointed at the label below the ball.

"Froakie? A water type? Really?" I became excited. "Water's always been my type of choice. _Merci_, Uncle Gus!" he beamed down at me as I carefully removed the pokeball from the case. As I examined it, memories of my father's Empoleon flooded back. The thought of my father made my eyes well with tears. I turned away from them and sent the pokemon out. The blue frog stared at me as I crouched down in front of it. It hopped twice closer to me and continued to look at me with the same probing look I had often seen on my father when he was concentrating on his work.

"Rosie?" Uncle Gus's voice seemed to reach me through a fog. "Would you like to name him?" he asked softly. I slowly nodded, gazing back at the pokemon.

"Pontus," I declared as I stood up. "A primordial Greek deity of the sea. I think it suits him perfectly." I returned the Froakie to his pokeball and turned around to face the others. I felt a new sort of confidence surging up within me. "Let's go take on that gym!" I started to leave, but Calem grabbed me by the wrist before I had taken three steps. I spun on my heels and wrenched my arm out of his grip. "What?" I cried, exasperated by his intrusion.

"Where do you think _you're_ going?" He raised his eyebrows at me. "You think you can take on a gym with one Pokemon? Especially one that you haven't trained in the least bit. How's that going to work?" I frowned at him.

"Stop patronising me," I muttered. "I was kidding, anyway." He rolled his eyes at this.

"C'mon," he said casually. "Let's go train that Froakie." he gestured to the town gate. "And," he added, "we can get you some more." I trudged behind him as we crossed the boundary between the city and Route 3. I caught up to him after he stopped in the middle of the route, a hilly expanse of grass and plain. He took a deep breath. "Welcome to Ouvert Way...again."

"You _do_ know how to catch Pokemon, don't you?" he asked. "I don't have to show you?" _Was that actual concern?_

"Good. I didn't really want to anyway," he smirked after I shook my head. _Nope._

Insert pokemon-catching and -training montage here.

* * *

**Calem**

After some time had passed while training, I checked my watch. _3:42_. It certainly hadn't felt like hours.

"Are you _done_ yet, Rosie?" I called over to her. She was still busy mowing down legions of weak wild pokemon. "It's time we started heading back to the gym. We don't know how long it'll take there." I started walking back to the town gate. I could hear her quick footsteps behind me. "So, how's it going? The training."

"Pretty well. These wimps didn't stand a chance against Pontus."

"What about your others? Did you train them, too?" I looked over at her.

"Yeah," she answered. "I caught Pidgey, Pikachu, Azurill, Bidoof, and Bunnelby, as well as some others now in the PC box. They're all around level 10 or 11, except for Pontus. He's now level 16." She glanced over at me, and I turned away sharply. "How're your pokemon doing?"

"I'm fine. Mine are about the same as yours, anyway."

"How about a battle?" she asked. "You against me. We'll see who's the toughest."

I took her by the shoulder. "Please, Rosie." She crossed her arms over her chest. "I've already beaten Viola. Why don't you see how you fare against her before me?" With a hmph of indignation, she strode away from me into town and to the gym. I noticed the professor at a café and strolled over to sit with him.

"_Bonjour_," he sighed, without looking up from his newspaper. "Ah, she can be so 'eadstrong, yes?" He glanced over at the gym just in time to see Rosie walk through its door. "You know, Calem, she was always like zis. She got it from her grandmuhzzer. Ever since she was a little girl, she wouldn't plan zings out, you know?" I sat down at the table, where the owners had graciously supplied a parasol for patrons for such a hot day and stared off into the distance, leaning back in my chair. "Listen to me. She is extraordinarily important. For _everyzing_. You will help her with her journey, yes?" I nodded mutely. "Even at your own expense?" I nodded again. "Excellent. You will make sure she gets to Lumiose safely?" I nodded once more. "I will see you zen." I turned back to him, but like a hallucination, he had disappeared. I scanned the town, but he was nowhere to be found. _What did I just agree to?_


	7. Chapter 7

**Rosie**

"Nice to see you again, kid." I looked up to see Viola smiling at me from her wooden platform, a camera in hand. "I'm glad to see you've decided to keep my little secret." She eyed me precariously perched on one of the spiderweb strands. For a brief moment I stopped confused, then remembered my earlier visit to the gym and discovery. "It's nice to meet with someone trustworthy every once in a while, you know what I mean?" She pursed her lips at this.

"Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, _of course_. How did it go again?" She knit her brows in concentration. She took a large breath. "That determined expression… That glint in your eye that says you're up to the challenge… It's fantastic! Just fantastic! Is this your first time challenging a gym? Fantastic! Whether it's the tears of frustration that follow a loss or the blossoming of joy that comes with victory… They're both great subjects for my camera! Fantastic! This'll be just fantastic! Now come at me! My lens is always focused on victory—I won't let anything ruin this shot!" She doubled over, clutching her abdomen, and gasped for breath.

"Did you do that all...in one breath?" I asked. She nodded and straightened back up.

"Don't worry. I do it all the time." I paused, giving her a chance to steady her breathing. "Let's...battle!" With a flash from her camera, the battle began.

* * *

**Calem**

"Not a bad idea," the professor murmured as we lounged on the seats of the balcony above the gym. Rosie had just sent out her Pikachu, Phoebe ("After the Greek deity of brightness, naturally."), against Viola's Surskit. "The type match-ups are in her favour." The level 13 pokemon's Thunder Shock and Thunder Wave would prove to be extraordinarily useful in this gym battle, especially for Viola's Vivillon. The trick was holding out against any attacks for long enough. I leaned forward to cross my arms over the railing and rested my chin on top of my arms.

As the battle began to draw to a close, the outcome became obvious. The badge and honourary TM were presented, and we got up to leave and congratulate Rosie on her win. We approached the platform to see Rosie glaring at Viola, irritated. The gym leader stood unmoving in front of her.

"Can't she say anything else?" Rosie gestured emphatically to Viola.

"The world you see through a lens, and the world you see with a Pokémon by your side... The same world can look entirely different depending on your view." She stared blankly ahead, unseeing. She made a cough-like sound and broke into guffaws. "I...I couldn't do it...anymore..." She kept laughing her head off, wiping tears away from her eyes. "It-It's too much with all of you here, staring at me like that." We all stood smiling at her, amused.

"She always does that," I explained. "For _effect_, of course." I glanced over at Viola, who was still composing herself. "We should probably just, you know, leave her be," I whispered, inching towards the staircase in the back. Rosie gave a minute nod and slowly followed the professor and me out the back way.

_4:09._

She examined her new gym badge. It shone in the bright sunlight, reflecting the blue sky. The professor had bid us farewell after leaving the gym, in a hurry to get back to his lab in Lumiose City. This was our next destination.

"How was it? The battle," I said, breaking the silence as we strode across the square to the adjoining route, Parterre Way.

"It was easy, thanks to Phoebe, anyway," she replied matter-of-factly. Actually, I think it would have been considerably more difficult without-"

"'ey, you kids!" Rosie was cut off mid-sentence by a young woman calling to us from the town gate to Parterre. "Come 'ere! I've got somezing to show you!" A Lumiose citizen, judging by her accent. What was she doing here?

She pointed at Rosie. "Oh, you... You are, aren't you? You're one of ze kids who got a Pokémon from Augustine, yes? Would you look at zat! You got ze Bug badge! Looks like I might 'ave a new scoop. And you, too, boy?" I nodded at the woman. "_Bien sûr_! Of course. To beat Viola at your young age... You really are somezing, aren't you? Oh! Sorry, I never did introduce myself, _oui_? I am Alexa. Ze Gym Leader you just faced, Viola, is my younger sister. I work as a journalist myself. 'ere, why don't you take zis to celebrate getting your first Badge?" She paused her dialogue to hand each of us some sort of strange machine. "If you 'ave an Experience Share and you turn it on, all of ze Pokémon in your team get experience points, even if zey don't appear in battle. I hope it helps you with your training! I work at ze big publishing house in Lumiose City. Feel free to stop by anytime if you 'ave ze next big scoop to share with me!" No wonder she's Viola's sister. They could both be quite the motormouth, evidently. "_Au revoir_! Goodbye!" She pushed us with surprising strength out of the town onto Parterre Way. "_Bonne chance_! Good luck! _Amusez-vous_! 'ave fun!" She continued to push us until we were several yards away from the town boundary line. She backed up slowly into the town, calling out things to us every once in a while and waving us on whenever one of us turned to look back.

"What strange people live in cities," remarked Rosie. I couldn't help but agree.


	8. Chapter 8

**Calem**

Rows of bright yellow and red blooms lined the road; waist-high hedges formed a maze on our sides. We kicked up dust in the simmering summer heat that still lingered in the evenings. _What I'd give for a break from that sun._

The dirt path opened out into a large space occupied by a fountain of massive proportions, decorated with the forms of Seadra and a large Clamperl. The garden continued for a considerable distance, for the city gate was just visible. We strolled across to the fountain to sit in the shade left by it. After a few minutes spent in silence, Rosie stood up and faced the fountain, walking around to observe it from every angle.

"Watch out!" A boy roller blading at full speed and I cried out in unison. He was barreling straight toward Rosie. Instinct kicked in as I sprang up to push her out of the way. I was able to mutter a "Crap." as I turned to face the boy still in motion coming at me. Within a second, I, as well as the boy, was sprawled out on the ground in front of the fountain, my hands dug into the ground. I turned to survey the other two, both sitting astonished. I glared at the roller skater, rubbing my shoulder, and he smiled sheepishly back at me, showing off a missing tooth.

"I'm awfully sorry, both of you," he said as he stood, dusting himself off. He pressed a finger to his mouth, taking it out to find it covered with blood. He shrugged resignedly and wiped it off on his shirt. "I just started this whole roller skating thing. It's a little harder than I thought it'd be." Another smile. "It was nice to meet you, anyway." He stuck out his hand, but I declined the offer, trying hide my disgust.

"Dexio! Dex, what happened?" A girl resembling the boy came running towards him. She grabbed him by his shoulders and spun him around to face her. At the sight of his face, she gave a gasp and promptly fainted to the ground. Dexio rolled his eyes and knelt down beside her.

"Afraid of a little blood," he muttered. "You'd think she was my _younger_ sister." He shook her roughly and slapped her in the face, not appearing to hold back. "Sina, Sina, wake up. It's fine." The girl stirred a bit and only opened her eyes after another smack from her brother. By this point, Rosie and I had recovered and stood over the two.

"Dexio?"

"Yeah. You fainted again."

"Oh, dear, I hate when that happens," she huffed. She stood, taking a few breaths. "Oh, hello," she said, addressing us. "I apologise for my brother. He should really _watch where he's going_." Somehow I got the feeling those words were directed at Dexio. She concentrated on our faces for a moment, then her countenance lit with discovery. "You're those kids whom the professor sent for, right? Hi, nice to meet you. Calem, yes? Aaand...Rosie! Yes. I'm Sina, one of the professor's assistants. My brother and I are in charge of figuring stuff out about the pokemon type only found so far in Kalos: Fairy. You know, strengths and weaknesses and stuff like that. Everybody knows about the type, but what do they _really_ know? Fun, right?" We nodded in assent.

"_Fairy_ type?" Rosie asked. Sina raised her eyebrows for a second, but smiled at her.

"Yes, the Fairy type," she began to explain. "I'm going out on a limb here, but you're new here?" Rosie nodded. "That's what I figured. Anyhow, the Fairy type, as I said, is supposedly only found here in Kalos. We have a lot of Fairy type pokemon here. This route is populated by pokemon called Flabébé. It's a Fairy type that lives in these flowers." She gestured around at the garden. She checked her watch. "Heavens to Betsy! It's getting late!" The sun had begun to set, bathing the scenery in a pleasant orange glow. "You know what? I'll give you two these, and we should all be heading home for supper." She produced two TMs from her pocket and handed one to each of us. The label read "Return". "I should hope you like that one. The more familiar your pokemon and you are, the stronger that move will be in battle. On that note, _au revoir_!" She dashed off towards the gate, followed by Dexio.

"It was nice meeting you!" he called out, waving to us. "See you tomorrow at the lab!"

"We've got quite a walk ahead of us," I sighed, looking in the direction of Vaniville.

"Where's your bike? I'm falling asleep."

"My bike!" I exclaimed. "I've got to get it! Come on." I grabbed Rosie by the arm and pulled her along the path. _Why do I have to such an imbecile sometimes?_


	9. Chapter 9

**Rosie**

I jumped- no, _fell on -_ my mattress with a resounding thwack. I was, to be frank, exhausted.

"Honey?" my mom called up the stairs. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." The end of my reply was muffled by the pillow I rolled over. The lights were off, the bed was comfortable, I was tired...but after tossing and turning for some time, I still couldn't fall asleep. I opened my eyes to glare at the alarm clock on my bedside. 10:24 pm. "It's all _your_ fault," I whispered-snapped at it, its hands ticking and tocking closer toward morning. "Go to sleep," I commanded myself. My eyelids refused to shut. I shifted to face the white ceiling, with the fan making lazy circles in the air. _It's too hot. Still._

Well, it looked like I had no choice but to think about my day. Almost killed by a bicycle, got my first few pokemon, won my first gym badge, and met some strange people. Overall, it was a pretty normal day.

* * *

**Calem**

"OBJECTION!"

I swore.

"Calem! I told you to turn that game off and go to bed! Were you even listening to me?" _Yes, yes, I was, Mom. _I turned off the console and fell back into bed without adjusting the covers.

_I wonder what it would be like, to be a lawyer...? You know, protecting people and helping society and stuff like that? _I stared out my window at the enormous full moon just breaking the treeline. "It'd be too much stress for the likes of _you_." I shrugged and closed my eyes, soon drifting away to sleep in bed while thoughts of detention centres and prosecutors danced in my head.


End file.
